Chief Jaclyn N. Place to Receive ASYMCA Angel of the Battlefield Award

The Armed Services YMCA is happy to announce Chief Jaclyn N. Place as one of the 2018 Angel of the Battlefield award recipients! Chief Place will be honored on October 2, 2018 at the Angels of the Battlefield Awards Gala in Arlington, Virginia. The Angels of the Battlefield Awards Gala acknowledges medics, corpsmen, and pararescuemen for their life-saving medical treatment and trauma care on the battlefield.

On November 7, 2015 while at her residence, Chief Place heard screaming coming from her neighbors apartment. As soon as she opened the door, she saw her blood soaked neighbor screaming for help and instantly began to run towards her to provide assistance. Her years of Corpsman skills and deployment experience immediately kicked in and without hesitation she assessed her condition and knew it was a life or death situation. While assessing her, Chief Place called another neighbor who was a Marine and instructed him to bring his first aid medical bag. The Marine brought a bag full of medical supplies, while a third neighbor came to the scene and called 911. Upon assessment, Chief Place's attention was drawn directly to the radial artery which was bleeding profusely. She determined that the artery was severed and began treating the wound with direct pressure and bandages. Shortly after, the neighbors' mother informed Chief Place that her granddaughter was behind the building and was also stabbed by the assailant. With complete disregard for her own safety, Chief Place asked the Marine to stay with her neighbor and ran behind the building to check on the daughter. Chief Place found the teenager unconscious with multiple stab wounds. The assailant was restrained by another neighbor and Chief Place jumped over him to immediately render aid to the young girl who was lying in a pool of blood and struggling to breathe. Chief Place recognized the girl had sever chest wounds and directed the neighbors to reposition her to ease her breathing and maintain her airway. She applied a seal to the wound, preventing air from being trapped in the young girl's chest. After treating the life-threatening wounds, Chief Place reassessed the daughter and stabilized her until the ambulance arrived. Chief Place's prompt response, composed leadership and emergency care saved the lives of these domestic abuse victims, who have both made a full recovery.

The Armed Services YMCA is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit that serves active duty military members and their families.In 2017, we registered more than 250,000 participants and delivered more than 1.3 million points of services to junior enlisted Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen and family members at 200 service centers in 18 states.Whether providing respite child care for parents in need, summer camps for kids, or assisting with emergency needs, the Armed Services YMCA is a nonprofit with a mission: Strengthening Our Military Family. Visit our website to see how you can join us in supporting military families.